It's not the end all, be all but height is a big deal. A lot of women simply will not date shorter than themselves, unless power/money/status come into the equation. All things being equal (which they most often are not), an average looking tall guy will have a lot more success than a good looking short man. I've seen it in my own life - I'm good looking, confident and have a vibrant personality but am 5'8 and have seen plenty of girls look past me for a taller, out of shape ugly dullard. I don't let it bother me and I do just fine - I just know that a certain segment of the female population is going to make that decision. Plenty of fish though, so it shouldn't really matter that much if you have everything else going for you.